HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2 has been a wild ride, delivering powerful performances from Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, but also tripping over some of the show’s weakest tendencies. Episode 6, “The Price,” which aired on May 18, 2025, is a textbook case, leaning hard into the adaptation’s worst habits—over-explaining, mishandling key moments from The Last of Us Part II, and choosing clarity over emotional depth. While the episode shines in moments, thanks to its flashback-heavy dive into Joel and Ellie’s world, it fumbles a crucial scene and feels like a missed opportunity to capture the game’s magic.
A Flashback-Focused Episode
“The Price” takes a break from the Seattle chaos, where Ellie (Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) are chasing Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), to zero in on flashbacks exploring Joel (Pascal) and Ellie’s life in Jackson, Wyoming. Directed by Neil Druckmann and written by Craig Mazin, it digs into the fallout of Joel’s Season 1 hospital massacre, showing his guilt, Ellie’s growing independence, and their fraying bond. A new storyline with Eugene (Joe Pantoliano), a former Firefly killed by Joel, adds tension, pitting Joel’s protective instincts against Ellie’s empathy. The episode ends by snapping back to Seattle, teeing up the Season 2 finale.
The idea is solid. The game’s flashbacks were emotional gut-punches, revealing Joel and Ellie’s relationship through scattered, heartfelt moments. Packing them into one episode fits TV’s tighter format, and Pascal’s raw performance—especially in a tearful scene with therapist Gail (Catherine O’Hara)—is a standout, with critics calling it Emmy-worthy. But the execution stumbles, and Episode 6 becomes a showcase of the show’s biggest flaws.
Read Also: ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2: Who Was Eugene & Why Did Joel Kill Him?
Over-Explaining Everything
One of the HBO adaptation’s ongoing issues, clear since Season 1, is its need to spell out every detail. The game let players read between the lines through subtle dialogue and gameplay, but the show loves heavy-handed monologues and on-the-nose confessions. In “The Price,” this is painfully obvious. Characters like Gail and Jesse (Young Mazino) bluntly lay out their feelings about Eugene’s death, draining scenes of subtlety. As critics have noted, the show seems afraid to let viewers figure things out, turning complex emotions into straightforward speeches.
This is a far cry from the game’s restraint. The Last of Us Part II used quiet moments—like Joel and Ellie’s museum visit—to convey love and tension without words. The show rushes these beats, stuffing emotional arcs into talky scenes that feel more like a to-do list than a story. The result is a Jackson that feels less lived-in, with characters stating the obvious instead of letting actions speak.
Fumbling the Iconic Porch Scene
The episode’s biggest blunder is its take on the game’s unforgettable porch scene, where Ellie and Joel face his hospital lies, and she starts to forgive him. In Part II, it’s a late-game heartbreaker, placed near the end to frame Ellie’s decision to spare Abby and tie together themes of grief and redemption. HBO’s choice to shove it into Episode 6, the night before Joel’s death in Episode 2, robs it of its power and purpose.
Critics have called this a sign of the show’s obsession with tying up loose ends too soon. By showing Ellie’s forgiveness early, the scene loses its role as a reflective climax, and her Seattle revenge mission feels less coherent. The new timing makes Ellie’s actions seem at odds with her game counterpart, leaving her arc muddled. While the scene itself is well-acted, its placement feels like a betrayal of the game’s storytelling.
Original Additions That Don’t Quite Work
The Eugene plot, created for the show, shows both promise and problems. Joel’s killing of Eugene—likely a mercy shot after a bite, based on Season 2 trailers—adds a fresh layer, highlighting his do-anything-to-protect mindset against Ellie’s idealism. It’s a clever twist, but it’s bogged down by clunky delivery. Gail’s therapy scenes, despite O’Hara’s strong performance, feel overly dramatic, with her anger at Joel laid out too neatly. The show’s good ideas are often undermined by heavy-handed choices like these.
Even the visuals, usually a high point, take a hit. HBO’s knack for decayed, fungal-filled sets has been a highlight, but “The Price” uses overly bright, polished locations that clash with the post-apocalyptic vibe. The pristine look of Jackson undercuts the gritty, hard-earned feel of the game’s community, making the stakes feel less real.
Some Bright Spots, But Not Enough
Episode 6 isn’t a total misfire. Pascal and Ramsey are phenomenal, and quieter moments, like Ellie strumming a guitar with Dina, capture the heart fans adore. Some reviews praised the episode for reframing Joel’s arc, calling the flashbacks bold and effective. But these wins can’t outweigh the clunky dialogue, the mishandled porch scene, and the uneven new additions. The show’s habit of over-explaining echoes Season 1’s pacing issues, where standalone episodes sometimes overshadowed Joel and Ellie’s core story.
With just seven episodes, Season 2—covering half of Part II—feels rushed and incomplete, a critique shared by reviewers who’ve called it a step down from Season 1’s finesse. Episode 6 had a chance to deepen Joel and Ellie’s bond but instead doubles down on the show’s weakest impulses, favoring plot tidiness over the game’s emotional depth. As the finale approaches, fans are crossing their fingers for a recovery, hoping HBO can rediscover the subtle magic that made the game a classic. For now, “The Price” is a tough reminder that even a great adaptation can lose its way.